In several states in the western US, authorities have battled fake news about the wildfires raging there. In posts on social media, groups from both the extreme left and the extreme right are accused of arson.
One of the incorrect messages has been shared about 10,000 times on Twitter, PolitiFact fact checkers saw. The fake news is also circulating on Facebook. Authorities have asked the platform to address the misleading posts. Facebook says it intervened when fact checkers identified the incorrect messages.
Antifa en Proud Boys
Some misleading posts report that six left-wing Antifa activists have been arrested for arson, others say members of the far-right Proud Boys have been arrested. The FBI says it has investigated several claims and that they are not true.
Local police forces also have their hands full answering questions about the false rumors. Jackson County police say they are “bombarded with questions about fake messages.”
Many large wildfires are raging in the western states of the US. In the state of Oregon, half a million residents have been ordered to find refuge. That’s about 10 percent of that state’s total population. The state governor has said dozens of people are missing.
The forest fires turned the sky over San Francisco orange on Thursday:
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